Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: How many years into the past can a detention bring Harry and Snape? Will they be able to change the future for the better and save Tom and Lily on their way? Tom's childhood time, Marauders' time, Harry's Hogwarts time. Compl. AU, partly OOC, sick!Harry.
1. Chapter 1

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future**

**Chapter 1**

Harry let out a deep sigh while he dragged himself down the stairs to the dungeons. It was only the second week of his fifth school year at Hogwarts, and he had just served his fifth detention in a row with Professor Umbridge, from where he had to head straight to his first detention in the Potions classroom. He had received the detention in the morning, because Draco had thrown something into his potion that had made it explode all over his desk.

Harry slowly moved his achy body, knowing that he was already late but he couldn't help it. After the Quidditch world cup that had ended with the appearance of the Dark Mark, Dumbledore had been afraid that it wouldn't be safe enough for Harry with the Weasleys and had sent him back to the Dursleys, who didn't take it well at all to have the freak back, whom they had already thought to be rid of for the rest of the year. During the remaining days of the holidays, his uncle had used him as a punching back whenever he came home from work.

Since Harry had returned to Hogwarts his whole body was sore, and it didn't help much that Professor Umbridge let him use a blood quill in his detentions. Harry sighed once again and hesitantly knocked at the door of the Potions classroom with his unharmed hand.

"You're late, Potter," the Potions professor sneered, shutting the door with a flick of his wand, before Harry had even a chance to close it.

"I'm sorry, sir; I had a detention with Professor Umbridge, and she only let me go now," Harry explained in a soft voice, while he obediently sat down where the professor motioned him to sit. On the desk in front of Harry were all the ingredients lined up, which he needed in order to brew the healing potion again, which they had brewed in the Potions class in the morning.

Harry slowly gathered his ingredients and began to prepare them. Due to a splitting headache, lack of sleep because of reoccurring nightmares about Voldemort's rebirth, and the pain in his hand he had to try hard to concentrate. '_I just have to get the potion right at the first try; otherwise I'm going to spend half the night here_,' he mused in desperation, while he absentmindedly took a knife and pulled one of the frog eggs close, not noticing that the professor had abandoned his grading work and was watching his every move.

"What are you doing?!" the teacher all of a sudden hissed, causing Harry to flinch back badly and accidentally hit his sore back against the table behind him.

"I... I'm preparing the ingredients, sir," Harry replied uncertainly, rubbing his good hand against his aching back.

"Well, if you want to finish your detention before curfew, you have to hurry, Potter," the professor sneered and returned to his desk.

"Yes sir," Harry replied hastily and went back to preparing his ingredients. Knowing that it wouldn't hurt as much to stand, he leaned over the table and resumed his work without sitting down.

"Potter!" Professor Snape barked. "What do you think you're doing? Sit down and do your work properly, if you don't want to earn yourself a month's worth of detention."

"Yes sir," Harry replied miserably and sat down, trying to ignore the pain it caused his sore ribs and back.

Unbeknownst to Harry, the teacher watched the boy during the next hour, taking in the painful expression that covered the boy's face from time to time as well as his flushed cheeks. '_He looks as if he was ill_,' the professor mused, '_but I'm sure he would complain vehemently if he was, and he would certainly want the whole school to know about it_.' However, a small voice at the back of his mind told Severus that something wasn't right, and he curiously stepped nearer to the student's working place to observe him even closer.

"No!" he shouted, grabbing the boy's hand to prevent him from stirring into the wrong direction not a second too early, causing Harry to yelp in pain. "You have to stir COUNTER CLOCK WISE, you dunderhead. Can't you read?" the professor hissed, slightly irritated at the boy's reaction to his touch that certainly hadn't been so forceful.

"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir," Harry replied, gritting his teeth.

"Show me your hand," the professor demanded, putting the potion under a stasis charm for the moment.

Harry hesitantly held his sore hand out to the teacher, unconsciously pulling it back as soon as the professor reached out for it.

"I m not going to hurt you, silly boy," Professor Snape sneered, carefully observing the emotions that were reflected on the boy s face. "What did you do to your hand, Potter?"

"Um... Nothing," Harry replied tentatively. "Excuse me sir, may I continue, please?"

Seeing that the boy was throwing him a pleading glance, the teacher sighed and cancelled the charm, resolving to speak with the child later on. '_I wonder what he got himself into_,' he mused, noticing that expressions of pain flushed up in the child's face every time he moved.

Determined to find out what was wrong with Potter, Professor Snape waited for a chance, which came when the boy had finished brewing his potion and went to retrieve a phial from the shelf in order to bottle the product of his efforts.

The professor reached out to grab the boy's arm in order to examine his hand, causing Harry to pull away so violently that he fell over a chair. Painfully pressing a hand against his sore ribs, he scrambled up from the floor and continued his way to the shelf with the empty phials.

"Don't touch me please," he mumbled, averting his eyes to the floor. '_It hurts so much_,' he thought, gritting his teeth.

"Then show me your hand and tell me what's ailing you. You look as if you were in a considerable amount of pain, Potter," the teacher sneered and once more reached out to examine Harry's hand.

"I'm fine," Harry insisted and jerked away forcefully. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep his balance and stumbled against a table, on which a very delicate test potion was simmering in a small cauldron in its last step.

"No!" Professor Snape shouted horrified and rushed forward to pull the student away from the potion that was exploding all over the boy. Unfortunately, he was too late, and in the blink of an eye they were both hit with quite an amount of the potion and were whisked away. '_At least we have to stay together_,' the professor mused, holding Harry's arm in a forceful grip, while he felt the movement begin.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Finally, the movement stopped. Harry blearily looked around, feeling even worse than before. When the professor released him from his strong grip, Harry felt so dizzy that he couldn't keep himself upright anymore and quickly grabbed the nearby table to steady himself. Hesitantly looking around, he noticed that they still seemed to be in the Potions classroom, although it looked a bit different than a few minutes ago.

"Are you all right, Potter?" Professor Snape asked.

Too startled by the teacher's voice that held obvious concern instead of malice, Harry was unable to answer the question. Instead he enquired, "Where are we, Professor?"

The man raised an eyebrow. Leave it to a Potter to make such a fuss. "Where do you think we are?" He asked back sarcastically.

"The Potions classroom?" Harry supplied in a small voice.

"Exactly. The test potion, which you saw fit to waste, was a time travelling potion. It didn't take us to a different place, but to another time." The professor looked around, noticing that the room resembled the one of his own Hogwarts time.

"Potter, I suppose that we travelled about twenty years into the past; however, this is only a guess. We have to go to Professor Dumbledore and speak with him. You will stay close to me and do what I tell you. Do you understand me?" Professor Snape told Harry sternly.

"Yes sir," Harry replied wearily, while his mind was doing flip-flops. '_Twenty years into the past? That would mean that my parents should be at Hogwarts_,' he mused while he quietly followed the teacher out of the dungeons, telling himself that the teacher had said it was only a guess. '_Maybe it's fifty years, and we meet a younger Voldemort_,' he mused, horrified.

Noticing that the boy was in obvious pain and hardly able to walk, Professor Snape strode as slowly as he could manage, which Harry noticed gratefully, although he still had to do his best to keep up with the man's pace. As soon as they left the dungeons and reached the entrance hall, a look through one of the windows showed the two wizards that it had to be the middle of the night.

When they reached the gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office, Harry asked shyly, "Professor, wouldn't it be better to wait until the morning? Can we disturb Professor Dumbledore at this time of the night?"

Professor Snape gave Harry a thoughtful look. "First of all, we might need an hour or two to guess the password, and secondly, it will be fortunate if nobody sees us, especially as we don't know exactly which year we have and whom we could meet here."

Together they began to name all the sweets they could think of; however, the gargoyle didn't open. "I can't think of anymore sweets," Harry said finally.

"If I knew exactly that we only travelled twenty years, I'd say we should go to the hospital wing to ask Madam Pomfrey, but I'm not sure; it is definitely more than ten years, but I don't know how many; it could be as many as forty years or maybe even a hundred," the teacher replied thoughtfully.

Both remained silent for a moment until Harry spoke up, "Professor, I have an idea. You know, in our time, there is always a copy of the Daily Prophet in the library. Maybe it's the same in this time, and then we would know the exact date."

"That sounds reasonable," the older man replied. "Are you well enough to accompany me to the library, or do you prefer to wait for me here?"

"I'll come with you," Harry answered quickly.

Together they headed down to the library, glad that they didn't meet anyone on their way. "There," Harry whispered urgently, pointing to one of the desks, "a newspaper!"

The professor rushed over to the desk, and Harry could see how his eyes widened, before he curiously followed the teacher.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	2. Chapter 2

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 2**

"December 10th, 1975," Harry read, seeing that the professor had let himself sink onto a chair and was hiding his face behind his hands.

Harry pulled a chair over, taking a seat next to the man, before he enquired softly, "What's wrong, Professor?"

Severus Snape slowly raised his head, seeing that the boy was looking at him with concern in his eyes, '_Lily's eyes_,' the man thought. "1975 is your parents' and my fifth year," he slowly explained, "and for me, it was the most horrible year in my life."

"But now we're here, and maybe we'll be able to help your younger self," Harry said in a soft voice.

"You?" the teacher asked, letting out a snort. "You are going to help me against your father and your godfather?"

"If necessary, I will help you, sir," Harry replied, remembering a few things about James and Sirius, which Remus had told him before. "However, I think it would help, if you told me a bit about your problems with them, so that I'd be able to understand and efficiently help you. I'm not my father, even if I look like him."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," the Potions master replied tiredly. "I will tell you several things in the morning. However, I believe that we should head to the hospital wing to gain Madam Pomfrey's help to heal whatever it is that is ailing you and to know the password to the Headmaster's office, so that we can speak with Professor Dumbledore."

"All right sir," Harry replied, trying to stand up without letting any sign of pain show in his face.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Two minutes after they knocked at Madam Pomfrey's office door the Healer bustled out, giving them a stern look. "Good morning, Mr. Snape, Mr. Potter; don't tell me you had a fight in the middle of the night. No," she added, turning back to the tall man. "You look like Severus Snape, but you're much too old. Who are you?"

"Good morning to you too, Poppy and please excuse us for the nightly disturbance. We accidently managed to arrive twenty years in the past. I am indeed Severus Snape, and this is my student, Harry Potter, the son of Lily Evans and James Potter." Seeing that the Medi-witch's eyes widened, he added, "I'm sure if you run a quick diagnostic spell on me that you can easily verify who I am."

Madam Pomfrey quickly waved her wand at the man and sighed in relief. "All right Mr. Snape. My, you've grown to a fine man, haven't you? And you're teaching at Hogwarts in the future?"

"I'm the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin," the man supplied, smirking. "If you don't mind, Poppy, we'd like to sit in your office for a few minutes to tell you the whole story." Sitting down with a cup of tea in front of him, he continued to tell her about Harry's detention and what had happened so far. To Harry's chagrin, he also voiced his suspicion that Harry was abused. "For an hour we tried to guess Albus' password, but we couldn't get in, so I thought to ask you for help, especially as the boy seems to need it anyway."

The Healer immediately waved her wand at Harry, frowning. "Am I still the Medi-witch in your own time, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes Madam Pomfrey."

"Then why didn't you come to see me?"

Harry shrugged. "It was not such a great deal. I'm fine."

"Yes, you look as if you were absolutely fine," the professor sneered, raising an eyebrow.

"You have a concussion, two broken ribs, bruises all over your body, and a fever of thirty-nine degrees. Moreover, you seem to have a progressive lung infection, although the symptoms aren't visible yet. Does that sound 'fine'?" the Healer asked, slightly upset. "Now show me your hand."

When Harry hesitantly complied and Madam Pomfrey examined his hand in confusion, Snape stood up and leaned over. "How did you get this, Mr. Potter?" he asked sternly, only to add, "You're incredibly stupid. If you had shown this to me back in your detention, a bowl of Murtlap would have healed your hand already."

"In my detention with Professor Umbridge, sir," Harry replied, averting his eyes to the floor. "I had to write lines, and they appeared in my hand."

A simultaneous gasp was the answer to this revelation. "A blood quill!" Madam Pomfrey stated angrily. "They are forbidden in our time. That's unbelievable."

"They are of course forbidden in our time, Poppy," the Potions Master replied sternly.

The Healer motioned Harry into a small teacher's room behind her office and told him that he had to lie down, so that she could heal his ribs, and that he should stay in said bed until his concussion and his fever were gone."

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked while Madam Pomfrey gently helped Harry into a bed.

"Whom should I tell? Professor McGonagall doesn't have time to listen. You? Who always tells me that I'm an attention seeking brat? And when should I go to the hospital wing with all my detentions and homework," Harry replied in a slightly upset voice.

"Watch your tongue, Potter."

With a flick of her wand, the Medi-witch healed the broken ribs and made Harry drink a potion against the headache and another for his fever. "I'm afraid his hand has to wait until I can get Professor Slughorn to make some Murtlap. He also has to brew something for his lung infection, which seems to be chronic and probably results from an untreated flu, and I'll see to his bruises later on. Take a seat, Severus. Seeing that Mr. Potter is in no condition to walk around the castle, I'm going to call the Headmaster here," she declared firmly.

"Thanks a lot Madam Pomfrey," Harry said gratefully, feeling much better at once.

The professor promised to brew the essence of Murtlap and the potion for the lung infection immediately after their talk with the Headmaster and took a seat at the other side of the small room.

"Thank you Severus," Madam Pomfrey replied warmly and headed to the fireplace.

Two minutes later, the Headmaster strode into the room. "Good morning Mr. Snape, Mr. Potter," he said gently with his eyes twinkling madly, causing Harry, who was already drifting off to sleep, to open his eyes once more.

The professor quickly informed the Headmaster about what had happened within the next twenty years, while Harry couldn't keep his eyes open and fell asleep within seconds. Dumbledore listened quietly, sucking on a lemon drop.

"Since Poppy told me that she confirmed your identity with a spell, I won't question you. However, tell me one thing, Severus," he finally spoke up. "Why did you have this potion in your classroom?"

Snape sighed. "It was a project you and I were planning together. We wanted to make a time travel potion in order to go back to the time when the Dark Lord was a small child and let Mr. Potter finish him off at that stage. Of course we wanted to try it out on a small basis and only go back an hour, then a day later on. It was not planned to use it to go twenty years into the past, especially as I hadn't brewed the antidote yet. I had just developed the potion and brewed the first batch of it." In a very low voice he added, "I wouldn't have joined the Death eaters and maybe I would have been able to keep Lily and marry her."

"You would let Harry kill Voldemort and then make his mother marry you, so that he wouldn't even be born?" the Headmaster asked incredulously.

"It was you, who suggested this plan to me, Albus, and no! According to your older self, who did a bit of research in this matter, Harry would have been born as Lily's son, even if he would have a different father and look differently."

"Very well my boy. Then we should keep him here as your son under the name of Harry Snape, and you can tell everyone that you're related to the Potters, if people ask why he looks like James Potter. Since nobody can know you as Severus Snape, we will change your first name to... What do you suggest?"

"Severin?"

"Very well, Severin. I will ask the house-elves to prepare quarters for you, where you can stay with Harry until you finish your research and can move either to the future or to the past. I suggest that Harry attends classes in the meantime, and if you don't mind, it would be good if you could brew some of the potions Poppy needs since she has always problems to make Horatius find time to make her potions. That way, we could explain your presence here as additional Potions Master."

"Of course Headmaster, thank you," Severin replied, inclining his head.

As soon as the Headmaster left the room, Madam Pomfrey bustled in and conjured a second bed, motioning the tall man to lie down and sleep for a while. However, Severin insisted to brew the two potions first and retreated to the Potions classroom, from where he returned two hours later, two batches of potions on his arms.

Severin put the potions on the Mediwitch's desk and headed back to the small teachers' room, laying down tiredly. '_Now I have to pretend that the offspring of my worst enemy is my son_; _moreover, he has to call me Dad in front of other people. I hope he'll take the news well_,' he mused, while he drifted off into a most needed sleep.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Harry and Severin slept until late in the afternoon, and Severin used the quiet in their room to explain several things to Harry, whose feverish mind was only able to take in a certain amount of information.

"I know that you told Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster, but can we please tell my Mum as well?" he asked impatiently. "I'd like to speak with her, but I don't want to lie; I want her to know that she is my mum."

"At this time, she is still my best friend. Yes, let's tell her and also my younger self, but don't tell the Headmaster that we're going to tell them. I will corner my younger self tonight and ask him to come to our quarters together with Lily tomorrow after classes."

"Our quarters? Can't I stay in the dormitory?"

"As long as you're ill, you have to stay either here or in our quarters. Remember, you're my son. Because of your concussion you're not allowed to do any magic until the Christmas holidays anyway."

They were interrupted by a happy looking Headmaster and an enraged Medi-witch, who were quarrelling about the fact if Harry should attend dinner in the Great Hall.

"He is ill," the Healer stated firmly.

"He has to be sorted tonight," the Headmaster returned. "Now Harry, are you feeling well enough to let the Sorting Hat sort you once more?"

"Yes, of course sir," Harry replied wearily and slowly scrambled out of bed.

"Be careful not to overly move your head, son," Severin warned Harry and quickly helped him into his clothes.

HP

Thirty minutes later, the Headmaster introduced his new Potions Master, explaining that Professor Slughorn was too overworked with his position as Head of Slytherin and Potions Professor to brew all the potions required in the hospital wing, and his son Harry, while Professor McGonagall fetched the Sorting Hat and motioned Harry to take place on the stool, so that she could put the Hat on his head.

'_Ah, it's you. I already sorted you in the future; I can see that_,' the Hat mumbled pensively. '_Now, where shall I sort you this time, hmmm?_'

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	3. Chapter 3

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 3**

'_I don't care, just make it quick. I'm sick, and I want to get over with this fast_,' Harry thought back, feeling completely annoyed.

'_Well, your thinking is not very Slytherin, so let's sort you into..._' "Gryffindor."

Harry let out a relieved sigh and handed the Hat back to Professor McGonagall, who kindly showed him the way to the Gryffindor table. '_I'd like her to know_,' Harry mused, knowing how often his Head of House had tried to help him in several situations. He slowly strode over to the House table and took a seat where two students had kindly made space for him. Only when he already sat down, he noticed that he was sitting between his mother and Sirius.

"Hello, I'm Harry," he hesitantly introduced himself, trying to keep his excitement at bay. '_I'm sitting next to my Mum_,' he thought happily.

"Hello Harry; I'm Lily Evans," his mother began to speak softly, but was interrupted by Sirius.

"Pray tell, why do you look like the spitting image of our James?"

Harry followed Sirius' outstretched finger and saw his father, who was sitting opposite of him. "Err, my family is somehow related to the Potters; I assume you're a Potter," he hurried to correct his own mistake.

"Yes, I'm James Potter. Are you related to Snivellus then?"

"Snivellus?"

"Severus Snape. Your father looks a lot like him in fact," Sirius supplied.

"Ah, yes I think he is a distant cousin of mine just like you; I haven't met him though," Harry added a truthful part to the sentence. "Until now, I attended a small wizarding school in Germany, and we only came back here recently, because Professor Dumbledore invited my father here." '_I have to tell Snape about that, so that he'll tell everyone the same version_,' he mused hoping that the teacher hadn't already told something else at the Head table.

James and Sirius continued to question Harry, but suddenly, Lily's soft voice penetrated his ear. "Harry, you haven't eaten anything yet. You have to hurry, because the teachers are nearly done and dinner will be over soon."

"Thank you, Lily, but I'm not hungry," Harry replied softly.

"Then shall we go and show you to our dormitory?" Sirius asked excitedly.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry, Sirius, but I'm not allowed to stay in the dormitory, at least not at the moment." Noticing that everyone was throwing him questioning looks, he grudgingly explained, "I was staying in the hospital wing because of a concussion and a progressing lung infection whatever that is, and Madam Pomfrey only let me go tonight, because the Headmaster insisted that he wanted to have me sorted tonight. I don't know when I'll be allowed to attend classes, but until I'm completely well I'll have to stay in the hospital wing or in my father's quarters. Believe me, I'd surely prefer the dormitory," he added sadly.

"Well, try to convince them. We can look after you; no problem," James told him gently, and Sirius nodded his agreement, noticing for once that his mouth was too full to voice his thoughts.

"Thanks a lot. I will speak to my father later on," Harry promised.

"Mr. Snape, Professor Dumbledore wishes to see you in his office," his Head of House's voice suddenly penetrated his ear.

Harry quickly stood up and followed the teacher up to the gargoyle, where they had spent an hour to unsuccessfully guess the password. "Wonders of time," Professor McGonagall said, shaking her head at the Headmaster's new password, and led Harry up into his office, where Professors Dumbledore and Snape were already waiting for them.

"Thank you Minerva," the Headmaster said gently, and his deputy headmistress turned to the door.

"One moment please, Professor," Harry spoke up, giving the professors a pleading look. "I'd like Professor McGonagall to know everything, if you don't mind."

While his Head of House looked at him curiously, Dumbledore and Snape exchanged a look and nodded their confirmation.

"All right, Minerva, I'd like you to take a seat and join us for a moment," the Headmaster said gently and turned to the two time travellers. "Is there anybody else, whom you want to know?"

"Lily Evans and Severus Snape," Severin Snape replied immediately, glancing at Harry.

"I agree. Maybe I'd like to tell James, Sirius, and Remus later on, but I don't know yet," he replied thoughtfully.

"All right," the Headmaster concluded the discussion and called Twinkle, his private house-elf.

"Master Professor Dumbledore sir, what cans Twinkle do for you?" the elf asked, bowing deeply.

"Twinkle, please tell Miss Evans and Severus Snape that they are expected to come to the Headmaster's office immediately."

"Yes Master Professor Dumbledore sir," Twinkle replied and popped away.

Knowing that it would take the students at least fifteen minutes to walk to the Headmaster's office from their common rooms, Professor McGonagall called another house-elf and asked for tea for everyone.

In the meantime, Severin Snape turned to Harry. "I noticed that you didn't eat anything at dinner. Are you feeling all right, Harry?" he asked in a soft silky voice, which to Harry's surprise didn't hold any malice but concern.

"I wasn't hungry," Harry replied hesitantly, nearly jumping startled when a cold slender hand found its way up to his forehead.

"What's wrong with him?" Professor McGonagall asked concerned. "Shall I call Madam Pomfrey, our Mediwitch?"

"In fact, he already spent the whole day with Poppy, and she only let him go, because Albus insisted that he had to be sorted tonight," Severin Snape quickly explained. "Harry, do you want to go and lie down?"

"No, I'm fine," Harry replied, feeling very annoyed at the attention. "I'd like to see my mum's face when you tell her, and it won't take ages now, will it?"

"No, certainly not," Severin replied, smirking.

"Your mum?" Professor McGonagall queried in concern. "Severin, he is delirious, isn't he?"

"My dear Minerva," the Headmaster raised his voice. "Harry is not delirious. As it seems to take quite a while until the students arrive, I'll tell you my own short version now. Harry and Severin came from twenty years into the future. Severin is in fact Severus, and Harry is the son of Lily Evans and James Potter. Poppy is the only one, who knows of this so far, and she confirmed with a spell that Severin is indeed our Severus Snape."

Minerva's expression changed from a concerned one to a disbelieving one.

Five minutes later, Lily and Severus arrived, and Severin told the complete story once more.

"You are me?" Severus asked incredulously, looking at his tall older self, who gave him a comforting nod.

"You're my son?" Lily asked softly, kneeling down in front of Harry.

"Yes... Mum," Harry replied, smiling, when Lily pulled him into a bear hug.

"Harry, are you all right? I know you told us that you're not allowed to stay in the dormitory because you're sick, but you feel very warm," Lily asked worriedly.

"I'll be all right," Harry told her, avoiding the question. "It's nearly time to go to bed anyway, isn't it?" he asked, throwing the older Snape a help searching glance.

"Yes indeed," Severin replied and stood up. "I'd like to continue this conversation tomorrow with the same members if possible. I'd like to tell you everything about my plans, especially since I will probably need your help and advice."

"All right; let's meet here again tomorrow after dinner," the Headmaster agreed. "Or shall we meet in your quarters, Severin, in case Harry isn't well enough?"

"Maybe that would be better," Severin replied pensively, glancing at the boy.

"All right then, please everyone follow me quickly to the Snape quarters, which are just around the corner, next to the hospital wing," the Headmaster said, hurrying ahead.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

In front of the entrance to their quarters, everyone went their own way, and Harry wearily followed his teacher into their quarters. They quickly inspected the place, which held a large living room, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, two bedrooms, and a comfortable huge potions lab.

"Let's get you into bed," Severin told his supposed-to-be son, seeing that Harry could hardly hold himself on his feet.

"I'm sorry Professor; is it really all right for you to share your quarters with me?" Harry asked hesitantly. "I don't want to be a burden, sir."

Severin sighed. "Only one thing, Harry; I can't expect you to call me 'Dad,' but you must not call me 'Professor' or 'sir.' Do you understand me? You can call me Severin if you wish. And no; I do not mind sharing my quarters with you, and you are not a burden, not to me and not to anyone else. But you're ill and need to go to bed." He quickly conjured pyjamas for Harry and told the boy he'd be back in two minutes to check on him.

In the meantime, he walked over into the hospital wing to retrieve the potions, which he had brewed in the morning. He exchanged a few words with Poppy, who offered to look after Harry and when Severin declined promised to come in the morning to check on him.

Before he left the hospital wing, she handed him a magical thermometer. "Please use this, Severin. It will alert me if his fever is too high and I have to check on him."

"All right Poppy, thanks. Good night."

"Good night, Severin."

Back in their quarters, Severin stuck the thermometer under Harry's armpit in case the boy wanted to speak with him while they were waiting for the reading. Harry suddenly remembered what he had told the Gryffindors about the school he had attended before and told Severin about it, who fortunately agreed and promised to stick to the story.

"Thirty-nine point five," he read, frowning. "I'm afraid you'll have to stay in bed tomorrow," he sighed, when he helped Harry to sit up once more in order to drink his potions. A minute later, he carefully tucked him in, noticing that Harry already drifted off to sleep.

However, an hour later, Severin had just gone to bed, when he suddenly heard the boy shouting and coughing harshly. When he hurried into the boy's room, he saw that Harry was lying in his bed with a deeply flushed face, shivering vehemently and obviously fighting against an invisible figure. He gently shook the boy's shoulder, noticing that he felt extremely hot to the touch and was not really asleep but delirious. He carefully stuck Poppy's thermometer under the boy's armpit, only to receive the result that the boy's fever was exceeding life threatening forty-two degrees.

_

* * *

tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	4. Chapter 4

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 4**

Severin had just transfigured the boy's bed into a bathtub, when Madam Pomfrey hurried into the room. She quietly waved her wand over the child and kept pointing the wand to his head to check his temperature until his fever had dropped two degrees. Then she transfigured the bathtub back into a bed, and confirming that Harry was fast asleep, she motioned Severin out of the room.

"That's what I meant with 'progressing lung infection.' It's a chronic disease, which is lingering and can break out at any time. With a day or two of bed rest, he'll probably be all right, but it can happen again all of a sudden. Therefore, I don't know if it would be wise to let him stay in a dormitory. I wonder why he didn't have problems so far in your own time. When I told him that it probably resulted from an untreated flu, he admitted that he had 'something like that' as were his words during the summer holidays."

"When we left Hogwarts, it was still the second week after the beginning of the new school year," Severin explained. "Maybe it was still too early for him to get problems."

The Healer and the Potions Master talked about several matters for about an hour, until Madam Pomfrey excused herself and Severin retreated to his potions lab in order to brew another potion for Harry.

In the morning, Harry couldn't recall any of the nightly events. However, he felt absolutely horrible. His chest all of a sudden hurt, although he had no idea why, and he was feeling hot and cold at the same time. '_I wonder what's wrong now_,' he groaned in disappointment. '_I wanted to attend classes with my Mum_.'

The Potions Master's arrival pulled him out of his thoughts. "Good morning Harry," the man said in his soft silky voice.

"Good morning sir," Harry mumbled back, astonished that his voice sounded hoarse.

"Remember, I'm not 'sir' but Severin," the professor corrected him lightly, while he stuck the thermometer under Harry's tongue. "According to Madam Pomfrey you have a light lung infection and have to stay in bed for at least two days."

Harry sighed in relief, glad that he didn't have to explain how bad he felt.

"Forty point six," the professor stated and helped the boy to sit up, so that he could take his potions.

"Do you think my mum could visit me, or would she get the lung infection from me?" Harry asked hesitantly, slowly looking up into Severin's dark eyes.

"No, she wouldn't get ill. I will speak to Professor McGonagall as your Head of House at breakfast, which I unfortunately have to attend, and I will ask her to speak with Lily."

"Thanks a lot, err... Severin," Harry replied gratefully and gulped down his potions.

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Lily was allowed to visit Harry over lunchtime and was told to call a house-elf for lunch for both of them and try to make Harry eat some soup.

"Hey sweetie," she said softly, sitting down on the edge if his bed.

"Mum," Harry replied happily. "Um... Is it all right to call you that if we're alone?" '_I can't believe that I'm able to talk to my Mum_,' he mused in absolute amazement.

"Of course Harry, I like it," Lily told him, smiling at her future son. "Now Harry, we're going to have lunch together.

"No thank you," Harry whispered. "I don't want anything."

"I'm sorry son, but you have to eat some soup." She gently supported Harry's back to help him sit up, while lunch appeared on the small table next to his bed. Lily put the bowl with chicken broth in front of Harry and gave him a pointed look. "At least try to eat a bit."

Seeing that Harry didn't move to take his spoon, she picked it up and spooned a little of the liquid into his mouth, causing Harry to blush terribly and take the spoon from her. He ate another three spoons full, before he pushed the bowl away and lay down again.

Lily took the cloth from his night table, which was charmed to remain cool, carefully bathed his hot face, and finally placed it on his forehead, receiving a grateful smile in return. "Harry, may I ask you something?" she then asked hesitantly. Seeing that Harry gave her a surprised nod, she said thoughtfully, "Sorry, if I'm wrong, but I have the impression as if you never met me before. Is that so?"

Harry gave her a horrified look, before he remembered what Severin had told him about going back into the past to change the future forever, and he explained to his mother how he lost his parents when he was fifteen months old only to grow up with the Dursleys.

"With Petunia?" Lily asked, terrified. "That must have been horrible, Harry. She is absolutely jealous of me, and to think that you had to grow up with her and a Muggle family of her..." She slowly trailed off and pulled him in a slight hug, pulling back immediately when he unconsciously flinched back.

"Well, the professor, I mean... err... Severin, said that he was going to try to change the future completely, and he wanted me to go further into the past with him in order to do so."

"He is not really your father, but James Potter. Did I understand that correctly?" Lily asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Yes. In fact, Severin hated my since my first Potions class, because I look so much like James. Only when we arrived here yesterday, he suddenly started to be friendly to me."

"But you have my green eyes," Lily said proudly. "Severus has always been my best friend, since we met on the playground when we were toddlers. I can't understand why I didn't marry him but James Potter."

"That's probably because at some stage he joined the Death Eaters, but he said he was going to change that and hoping that you'd remain with him instead of James."

"And you? You wouldn't be born then, would you?" Lily asked sceptically.

"According to Professor Dumbledore of the future, I would still be born as your son, just with a different father," Harry replied, coughing.

"Don't talk too much," Severin admonished him lightly, entering the room.

"I'm sorry, Sev; that's my fault. I asked him a lot of questions," Lily apologized immediately.

"I'll answer all of your questions in the evening. I believe that it's time for you to head to your afternoon classes and for Harry to sleep for a while anyway."

"All right, Sev." Lily leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek. "I'll see you in the evening, Harry. Rest well, so that you'll be able to join us tonight."

"Thanks Mum," Harry croaked, before Severin shut him up by sticking the thermometer into his mouth.

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Due to the potions that Severin had given him, Harry slept through the afternoon, while Severin brewed the time travelling potion once more and began to research on the antidote, which they would need to go back to the future.

When Minerva, Albus, Poppy, Lily, and Severus joined them in the evening, Severin told them that he had already been able to brew the antidote and had efficiently managed to go back an hour into the past and back into the future.

"Congratulations Sev," Lily said warmly. "You're absolutely brilliant."

"Another version of me should arrive in a few minutes, provided that I'll be able to go a day back tomorrow," Severin announced just in time, before his one day older self arrived.

'_Oh no_,' Harry groaned inwardly. '_One of them is bad enough, but three of them are a nightmare_.' To his relief, the time travelling Severin returned a day into the future after a few minutes.

"Well, Harry and I should be able to travel forty-five years into the past as soon as Harry will be back to full health. However, I believe that we need help from someone in the past," Severin told the others.

"If you don't mind, Severin, I will accompany you. We will go to Dumbledore Manor before we take the potion, so that we'll arrive there in the past and only have to deal with my younger self. In 1930, I lived alone at the Manor. I can't be of help at Hogwarts, because I only started to teach here in 1938. However, I know where the orphanage is and will be able to take you there."

"Thank you Albus. I'd appreciate your help very much. However, it will have to be Harry to finish the Dark Lord off, at least according to a prophecy that was made around 1980."

Everyone, including Harry, let out a huge gasp. "But how?" Harry asked hoarsely.

"We will still have to think about that," Severin said thoughtfully.

A week of intensive discussions and planning later, Poppy finally deemed Harry's concussion and lung infection healed enough, so that he could travel with Albus and Severin. The three wizards took the Floo network to Dumbledore Manor and sat down comfortably in the living room. Severin produced six phials and handed everyone two phials, one with the potion they had to take and one with the antidote to keep with them in their robe pockets in case they got separated on their way. Albus and Severin each grabbed Harry's left arm, while they downed their potions.

The movement began instantly and seemed to last forever before it finally stopped. Although both teachers still held his arm, Harry couldn't keep himself upright, and when he managed to scramble back onto his feet, wondering why Severin hadn't helped him up like the last time, he heard a voice shouting, "Expelliarmus!" and found himself looking straight down the business end of a wand.

_

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tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	5. Chapter 5

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 5**

"Ah, Albus, don't fret. I'm your older self coming from forty-five years into the future," the Headmaster explained to the man that looked like his spitting image.

'_Oh, that's Professor Dumbledore of this time_,' Harry realized and said politely, "Good evening Professor Dumbledore."

"Professor? That sounds interesting," younger Albus replied with his eyes twinkling happily. "However, it is still morning my boy. Who are you by the way?"

"I believe we should sit down with a good cup of tea and a few lemon drops for a nice long talk," older Albus suggested. As soon as they were seated in front of the fireplace, he began to explain who they were and why they had come to the past. "We will leave for the orphanage in a few minutes. If we manage to do what we came for, we will return to the future immediately. However, if something happens, so that we'll have to stay overnight, we'd like to stay here until we'll be able to go back into the future," he finished his explanation.

"All right, old man; good luck," his younger self replied, chuckling.

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Before they left, younger Albus pointed his wand at the three time travellers once more and changed their appearance, so that nobody would able to recognize them in any case. A few minutes later, Albus, Severus and Harry left the house and used Muggle methods to travel to the orphanage. It wouldn't be wise to let the Ministry know that wizards travelled from Dumbledore Manor by Apparition or Portkey right to a certain orphanage, in which a crime would probably be going to happen during the next two hours.

After an hour of travelling, they arrived at the orphanage, a tall and very old, grubby building. '_So this is where Voldemort grew up_,' Harry mused.

"Good morning Madame," Albus greeted the lady, who opened the door for them. "We heard that you have a boy here named Tom Marvolo Riddle; is that correct?"

"That is correct, yes, but who are you?" the lady enquired gently.

"We are Albus, Severin, and Harry Blyton, and we are related to Tom. I am his grandmother's brother on his mother's side. Only recently, we heard of his mother's death, and that's why we came to see him."

"Would you perhaps be interested to take him in?" the lady asked interestedly. "He doesn't get along too well with the other kids, you see, and it would be better for him, if he had a new home," she explained in obvious concern.

"At first, we would like to visit with him and speak to him about the matter, before we might consider taking him in," Albus replied patiently.

"Very well; at this time of the day, he'll probably be in his own room, which is on the sixth floor. I will take you there."

"Ah, it's all right," Albus said gently. "We have already taken so much of your valuable time. If you could just tell us the room number, I'm sure that we'll be fine."

"Well, if you're sure," the lady replied, looking longingly at her desk, where huge piles of paper were waiting for her. "It's room number 525. Just go up the stairs and it's the third room on the left side, just above the entrance door."

"Harry, do you have your wand and know what you have to do?" Severin whispered while they climbed up the stairs.

"Yes," Harry whispered back, feeling very anxious in spite of knowing that the boy was only four years old and didn't even know about magic.

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Four-year-old Tom was alone in his room, reading an illustrated book. "What do you want?" he asked, seeing the three strangers enter his room.

Harry looked around interestedly. The room was sparsely furnished. There was a bed, a wardrobe, a small desk, and a chair. The high walls were painted in a very light yellow, which must have been quite modern at one time. Now, parts of the paint were peeled off though. However, on one side of the room was a huge window, and the room was very light.

"Hello Tom. I am the brother of your grandmother, Albus Blyton, and these are my sons Severin and Harry," Albus supplied gently. "Only a few weeks ago, we heard about your mother's death, and we wanted to know how you are fairing."

Tom gave them a surprised look. "I'm fine, thank you, sir. I didn't know that I had relatives. Can't you get me out of here? I don't like it here. The kids are unnerving and stupid," Tom replied firmly.

"Ah but here are so many kids; there surely will be some nice children too," Albus replied gently.

"No, they're all stupid, plus they are just normal. They're not like me. I'm better than all of them."

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'_He's only a child_,' Harry suddenly thought, panicking. '_I can't do that_.' He turned to the Headmaster. "Perhaps, the professor, whom we visited this morning, could adopt him and raise him. He's only four."

"Well, we could ask him," Albus replied thoughtfully. "What do you think, Severus?"

The teacher gave Albus and Harry a menacing glare that changed into a frown when he looked in Harry's green eyes that had remained in spite of the spell younger Albus had placed on him. "Maybe that would be a good idea," he slowly replied.

"All right Tom," Albus turned to the child. "We will speak with someone, who might be willing to take you away from here, and if he agrees, we'll send him to see you later today or tomorrow."

"Why don't we just take Tom with us? If the professor doesn't agree, I will see to it," Harry suggested.

Albus and Severus glanced at Tom, who was looking at Harry with a hopeful expression on his face. "All right," the old man finally agreed. "Tom, do you want to come with us for the day?"

"Thank you," the small boy replied happily and hesitantly took Harry's hand, which the boy held out for him.

"Let's do it the appropriate way then," Albus decided and went back down the stairs followed by his Potions Master and the two boys. After a short talk to the lady downstairs, he led the small group around the corner of the building and told Severus, "Can you wait five minutes, so that I can take the wards down, and apparate with Harry to Dumbledore Manor please? I will go ahead with Tom. Otherwise the wards won't let you into the Manor."

"Of course," Severus replied and watched how Harry told the small boy to go ahead with the old man and wait for him at his house.

Twenty minutes later, the small group was together in the living room of Dumbledore Manor eating lunch. While they were eating, Albus carefully explained to Tom that they were wizards just like him, noticing that Tom seemed very relieved to meet people that were able to do strange things like he could. In front of Tom's eyes, Albus waved his wand at Harry, Severus, and himself, changing their features back to normal.

"Wow, how old are you?" Tom asked in his high, childish voice, looking amazed at Albus' long white beard.

"I am nearly one hundred years old, Tom," he replied gently. "However, in a few minutes you will meet my younger self, who is forty years younger than me."

Shortly later, his younger version arrived, and older Albus suggested that Harry could take Tom flying out on the grounds, while the adults were having an important conversation.

"All right Professor," Harry agreed immediately and followed the house-elf, who showed them were the brooms were stored and where they could fly.

While Harry still mused if he would manage to transfigure one of the brooms into a small children's broom, he discovered one in the cupboard. '_Thank God_,' he thought, taking the small broom and a normal one out.

"Have you flown on a broom before?" he asked Tom, who anxiously shook his head. "Do you want me to show you, or do you want to ride with me on my broom first?"

"With you if that's all right."

"Of course it is," Harry said, mounting the broom, which was a Nimbus 21, and pulled the child close, sitting him in front of himself. "Grab my arms, Tom, and don't let go," he advised the boy and took into the air. "Do you like it?" he asked a few minutes later, causing the child to turn his head.

"It's great," Tom replied with a huge smile on his face. "It's a bit cold though."

"Okay, then let's get you something warmer to wear," Harry replied and landed on the ground, where he took a stone and transfigured it into a colourful snowsuit, noticing that Tom's eyes grew bigger at the transformation that took place in front of his eyes.

Harry gently helped Tom to put the snowsuit on, before he asked, "Now, would you like to try on your own, or shall we fly together?"

"Together," Tom replied uncertainly.

When the teachers came to fetch them two hours later, the two boys were still flying together. In the meantime, Harry had conjured a golden Snitch, and both boys were searching for it, trying to catch the funny ball.

"All right, Tom, it's time to go down," Harry told the child and landed in front of the teachers, eager to know the result of their discussion. '_What am I going to do if the younger Dumbledore refuses? Am I going to take him sixty years to the future with me?_' he mused, while he put the brooms away into the cupboard.

_

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tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	6. Chapter 6

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 6**

Severus, Harry Tom, and the two Albus headed back into the living room, where the house-elves had already prepared tea.

"Tom," younger Albus addressed the small boy, "my older self told me that you would like to be adopted."

"Yes please," Tom answered excitedly. "The children in the orphanage are not like me." He gave the man with the long beard a pleading look.

"I can understand you very well, my boy. There are two problems however, whereof one is my age and the other is the fact that I am working at the Ministry of Magic, so that you would be alone here with the house-elves during the day."

"I don t mind your age, sir," Tom said quickly.

"Well...maybe..." Albus thought aloud, before he explained, "The Headmaster of Hogwarts has been pestering me now for months that I should come to Hogwarts and teach Transfiguration, because he still has to teach in spite of being Headmaster. So far, however, I didn't feel inclined to accept the position, but under these circumstances a teaching position surely has its merits."

"You will end up at Hogwarts anyway," older Albus threw in, smirking. "At Hogwarts there are enough house-elves to look after Tom, while you're teaching, and you could even take him to class with you or ask your colleagues to let him attend their classes. Another option would be to send him to the primary school in Hogsmeade."

"All right, I will Floo call the Headmaster in a few minutes and ask if it would be all right if I started to teach from the beginning of January onwards. Tom, would you like to live with me in a huge magical castle with many students, who are all wizards and witches?"

Seeing Tom nod eagerly, younger Albus turned to the time travellers. "Would the three of you be willing to stay here for a few more days, until the Ministry lets me go?"

His older self threw Severus and Harry a questioning glance, but both of them nodded their agreement.

"Thanks a lot," younger Albus said in relief and turned to his older self. "Well Albus, perhaps you show your friends to the guest rooms, take a room for yourself as well, and I will call Professor Dippet to enquire about the Transfiguration position. Give Tom the room right next to my own please."

The old man led Severus, Harry and Tom up the large staircase and showed them their rooms. Harry was completely amazed just like Tom seemed to be. Neither of them had ever seen such a beautiful manor, which was like a small castle, and the rooms were absolutely gorgeous. Tom received the room between the two versions of Albus, and Harry the room between the older Albus and Severus. It was equipped with a small balcony and a huge window that allowed the view onto the park, where Harry and Tom had spent the afternoon.

'_The best is the bed though_,' Harry thought in amazement, looking at the huge four-poster-bed that was surrounded by dark blue curtains with golden stars on the blue cloth. The bed looked so inviting that he all of a sudden felt incredibly tired and couldn't resist lying down '_only for a few minutes_.'

Harry woke up when he heard voices talking next to his bed. He wearily opened his eyes, noticing immediately that his throat and his head were sore. '_Oh no; I've probably caught a cold when I was flying with Tom_,' he groaned inwardly, when Severus' voice penetrated his ear.

"Someone seems to have taken a liking to you, Harry."

"Hmm?" Harry asked in confusion, before he became aware of the fact that a small figure was sleeping peacefully in his arm. "Oops, I didn't even notice that he came into my bed," he replied astonished.

"My younger self took him back to the orphanage in order to gain the guardianship over Tom, and when they returned, Tom searched you and here is the result," older Albus explained gently.

"Oh, then he is already Tom's guardian?" Harry enquired, looking very pleased.

"No, he will take Tom to the Ministry in the morning when he goes to work and then apply for the permanent guardianship. He is even considering to blood adopt Tom."

"I believe that would be for the best," Severus threw in.

"I think so too," Harry agreed, carefully trying to sit up without disturbing Tom.

However, older Albus picked Tom up into his arms and told the boy, who stirred at the movement, "It's time to eat dinner, my boy." He carried the child down to the dining room, motioning Severus and Harry to follow him.

"Do I have to get up and eat dinner, sir?" Harry asked Severus in a small voice. "I'm not hungry."

Severus gave Harry a piercing look, noticing that he was very pale. "Are you feeling all right, Harry?"

"I feel as if I had caught a cold, but please, sir, I don't want anyone to know. I'll be fine."

"No, you won't," Severus, replied firmly. He gently put a hand on Harry's forehead and sighed, before he pulled a small bag out of his robe pockets, enlarged it, and took a phial out, handing it to Harry. "Drink this, it's Pepperup potion. I will check on you later to see if it worked."

Harry obediently gulped down the potion, feeling better immediately. "Thank you, sir," he said gratefully.

"All right; don't forget it's Severus or Severin but not sir. Now let's head down to dinner. You have to eat at least a little bit."

'_Tom is really cute_,' Harry thought, while he was pushing his food around his plate, listening to the conversation between the two Albus and Tom at the same time. Tom was asking his new guardian many questions about the wizarding world, and the two Albus did their best to answer all of his questions.

After dinner, Harry was asked to give Tom a bath and put him to bed, so that the two Albus could discuss several things in private. "Of course," Harry agreed immediately, glad when Severus followed them into Tom's room to assist.

Harry gently bathed the small boy, who seemed to enjoy his bath a lot and happily laughed when Severus conjured a few small dragon toys for the child to play in the bath. While Harry was softly drying Tom with a huge, fluffy towel, Severus conjured dark green footie pyjamas with a pattern of small yellow lions that roared from time to time. Finally, Harry put the toddler into bed and took a tissue out of his robe pocket, which he transfigured into a light blue teddy bear.

"I can change the colour for you, if you want a different colour," he offered, but Tom gave him a happy smile.

"Is that for me?" he asked amazed. "Thanks a lot, Harry!"

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now do you want me to read you a story?" When Tom nodded eagerly, Harry turned to Severus. "I'm sorry Severin, but could you perhaps conjure a children's book for us, please?"

Seeing that Harry was obviously too tired to do it by himself, Severus quickly conjured a book and offered, "I will read the book to Tom. Go to bed Harry."

"Thank you," Harry replied gratefully and turned to the child. "I'm sorry Tom, but I'm very tired today and would like to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow." He put a light kiss on the child's forehead and turned away to leave the room.

"Thank you Harry for bringing me here; I like it here a lot," Tom replied brightly, looking after Harry, when he left the room.

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When Harry woke up in the morning, he felt outright ill. He lazily opened his eyes to see if it was already time to get up and noticed surprised that Severus was sleeping in a comfortable looking chair right next to his bed. As soon as Harry reached out for his glasses the professor stirred and asked, "How are you feeling, Harry?"

"Not too well," Harry replied, sounding slightly hoarse.

"I thought so," Severus replied quietly. "Your cold turned into a light lung infection again. Fortunately, I realized it quite early when I checked on you in the evening and gave you the appropriate potion for it, so that it probably won't get so bad this time. However, I want you to spend at least the morning in bed, and then we'll see. If it gets worse, we have to return to the future immediately, so that Poppy can help you."

"Professor Dumbledore is going to take Tom to the Ministry today anyway, isn't he?" Harry enquired.

"Yes, that's what he said in the evening," Severus replied.

"Then I should go and dress him, so that he'll be ready when Professor Dumbledore needs to go."

"I don't think that you're in a condition to get up at all," Severus told the boy, sticking a thermometer into Harry's mouth as soon as the boy opened it to reply. "Nearly forty degrees, Harry; no, you will stay in bed. I'm going to see if I need to help with Tom, and I'll check on you later again.

"No Severin, please let me go and get Tom ready. That's about all that I can do for him, and we're going to go back into the future tonight or tomorrow anyway, aren't we?"

Before Severus could reply, the door opened and Tom hesitantly stepped into the room, still dressed in his pyjamas. With a flick of his wand, Severus transfigured the child's pyjamas into dark blue trousers and a light green shirt, causing the child to look at himself in amazement.

Severus made Harry drink two potions, before he took Tom down the stairs to the dining room for breakfast in spite of the child's protests that he wanted to stay with Harry.

"You want to accompany Albus to the Ministry of Magic, so that he can become your guardian, don't you?" Severus asked in his soft, silky voice, causing the boy to nod in excitement.

When younger Albus and Tom returned to Dumbledore Manor around lunchtime, a slightly differently looking Tom rushed into Harry's room, his teddy bear in his hand, where Severus and Harry were quietly talking to each other.

"Oh, did Albus indeed blood adopt you?" Severus asked gently, seeing that the boy's hair and eyes had taken on Albus' traits, changing their colour.

"Yes, I am Tom Albus Riddle-Dumbledore now," the boy replied happily, jumping excitedly up and down. "Harry, can we go flying?"

Before Harry could even think about the question, Severus replied, "No Tom, Harry is sick and may not fly today. You can play together or read a book together but nothing strenuous."

During the next few hours, Harry taught Tom how to play Wizard's Chess, noticing that the small boy was not stupid at all and learned very fast. They only stopped their game, when Severus showed up and ordered Harry back to bed.

"Don't worry; I will take Tom flying for a while," he told Harry and helped the excited child to put his snowsuit on.

"Can you watch over my teddy please?" Tom asked Harry, giving him a pleading look.

"Of course," Harry smiled, cuddling the teddy close.

When younger Albus returned from the Ministry, he told them, "They already let me go. I'm on holidays from tomorrow onwards until I have to go to Hogwarts. So feel free to return to the future whenever you need to, although Tom and I would be pleased if you could stay over Christmas."

"I'm sorry Albus, but at least Harry and I have to return to the future today. Harry is sick, and I don't have enough potions with me to help him until he'll be fully recovered," Severus replied.

"Harry, say good-bye to Harry and the others," Tom told his teddy bear, causing everyone to look at him in confusion.

"Is your teddy's name Harry?" younger Albus was the first to react.

"Yes," Tom beamed, looking from his teddy bear to the older boy and back.

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After a light dinner, the three time travellers said good-bye to everyone. Like the last time, when they had travelled into the past, Albus and Severus grabbed Harry's arm, and all three of them gulped down the potion to finish this part of their time travel. When the world finally stopped spinning around after a few minutes, Harry couldn't see his hand in front of his eyes.

"Harry, hold on to us closely. We're in the midst of a snow storm," the silky voice of Severus, who was going to be Severin again in this time, penetrated his ears.

_

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tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	7. Chapter 7

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 7**

"Fawkes," Harry could hear the Headmaster call his familiar, and seconds later, the phoenix' beautiful voice filled the air. "Thank God. Fawkes, can you please take Severin, Harry, and me to my office?"

Suddenly, Harry got a glimpse of Fawkes' beautiful red back feathers and was told, "Harry, grab Fawkes' tail feathers," before he automatically obeyed.

Only seconds later, they found themselves in the Headmaster's office that seemed to be full with people. Severin gently helped him up and ushered him into a seat. Harry looked around and recognized Lily, Severus, Minerva, Poppy and an unknown man of about Severin's age. '_Is that Tom?_' he mused, suddenly getting very excited.

"Welcome back," Minerva greeted the three time travellers. "You did a great job in the past, and we all have to thank you for what you accomplished. I'd like to introduce our Arithmancy teacher, Professor Tom Riddle-Dumbledore, to you.

"Tom!" Harry gasped. '_We did it_!' he thought, and a warm feeling of utter relief spread through his entire body.

"Hello Harry," Tom addressed him in a soft voice, pulling something out of his robe pocket that Harry recognized as the teddy bear, which he had conjured for Tom forty years ago.

'_That was only yesterday evening_,' Harry mused, but looking at the teddy's worn off face and body, he realized in amazement, '_It's definitely forty years old_.' "You still have the teddy bear," he replied, letting out a chuckle that soon turned into a cough.

"Of course I have my Harry. He grew up with Father Albus and me here at Hogwarts," Tom replied softly.

Seeing that Poppy was giving Harry a sharp look, Severin told his colleague, "Harry only caught a small cold and by the time I checked on him because I thought that it should be gone with Pepperup, it had already turned into his usual lung infection."

"At least you noticed it early, so that it's not too bad this time," the Mediwitch replied after unobtrusively waving her wand over Harry.

"Well, this time Harry won't end up with his relatives, so that he should be completely all right as soon as we return to the future," Severin mused aloud.

"Will you be leaving soon?" Albus enquired. "I thought you were going to stay here with us for a while."

"We will stay here for a while. We still have an errand to do," Harry replied firmly, causing everyone to laugh at his determined expression. "In order to do this, I'd like to stay in Gryffindor though," he added, glancing at Severin.

"When you're completely back to health, you may stay in Gryffindor. However, if you feel the slightest bit unwell, you'll have to return to your own room immediately," Severin replied sternly, and Poppy reluctantly gave in as well.

"Lily, Severus and I can still meet in my room, can't we?" Harry asked Severin in a small voice.

"Of course you can invite your friends to your room," Severin replied in his soft, silky voice.

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During the next few days, Severin and Poppy kept Harry in bed. Lily used every free minute to keep her son company and talk to him; sometimes she even brought Severus with her.

"When and why did you change your plan and saved Tom instead of killing him, if you don't mind me asking?" Severus enquired.

"When I saw him, I just couldn't go through with the plan. He was only four and a real child. He still had nothing to do with Lord Voldemort," Harry replied thoughtfully, trying to remember what he felt at that time. "When we took him to Dumbledore Manor and I had to play with him, I was really glad that we saved him. He was so cute."

"I think that was the best thing you could do," Lily said warmly, giving her future son a proud smile.

"It was the right thing to do, and it was a huge success. We've known Professor Riddle-Dumbledore from our first year onwards, and so far, I never knew that Professor Dumbledore wasn't his real father. They even look like father and son, and they behave similarly. Did Dumbledore blood adopt him?" Severus asked.

"Yes, he did."

"I know this might sound strange," Lily hesitantly began to speak, "but I don't want to go home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Harry gasped. He had completely forgotten that the winter holidays were going to start.

"Yes, it's Christmas on Tuesday," Severus explained, adding, "I can understand you very well, Lily. I wouldn't want to celebrate Christmas together with your sister, who is going to be so cruel to your son in the future, although you can't blame her for that now. Why don't you remain here? I'd love to stay here as well, although I'm not sure if my father would accept it."

"Maybe you could tell him that you're sick?" Harry suggested hoarsely. "And you could do the same, couldn't you, Lily?"

"No, I'm going to tell my mother the truth. I'll write her a letter and explain everything about you and about Petunia's behaviour and that I want to spend the holidays with you this year," Lily replied in determination, sitting down at Harry's desk to write her letter.

"I will ask my older self for an advice," Severus decided.

"Why don't you go ask him straight away?" Harry recommended.

"No; he's in the lab researching on a potion, and you should know by now that that's a bad time to disturb him. Of course, I could pretend to be sick, but then I would need Madam Pomfrey to lie for me," he mused aloud.

However, on the next day, a lie wasn't necessary. Lily and Severus had promised Harry to visit him before breakfast and tell him, if they could stay over the holidays.

"I haven't asked my older self yet," Severus admitted. "Somehow, I was too tired yesterday and went to bed straight after dinner."

"Then you should ask him quickly," Lily replied and gave her friend a piercing look. "Severus, are you feeling all right?" she suddenly asked, noticing that his cheeks were flushed like Harry's and that his obsidian eyes, which she loved so much, were glazed over. She carefully placed her small hand on Severus' forehead and let out a gasp. "Severus, you're burning up."

"I don't think it's that bad; I just don't feel too well," Severus replied, obviously feeling uncomfortable at the attention that was focused on him.

Harry reached out for the thermometer that was lying on his night table, handing it to Lily. "You better check that out; maybe he won't even need an excuse to stay here."

Severus grudgingly opened his mouth, not without sending a menacing glare at Harry, who laughed until his laughs turned into coughs. "Believe me, I'm used to the glares of your older self; you still have to practise a lot to become as good as him."

"Forty point three!" Lily gasped. "You're as bad as Harry. I'm going to get Severin."

A minute later, Severin strode into the room, giving his younger self a piercing look. "What exactly is ailing you?" he asked gently.

"My chest and my throat hurt, and my head and eyes too," Severus admitted in a small voice, while Severin waved his wand over him and sighed.

"You obviously caught the lung infection from Harry. I'm afraid you won't be able to return home today. You can either go to the hospital wing or remain here together with Harry, so that I can look after you together."

"I'd like to stay here, if Harry doesn't mind," Severus replied, looking at Harry hesitantly.

"Of course; I'd love to have you here," Harry replied hoarsely, before he chuckled, "Congratulations Sev."

Seeing Severin glare at Harry, Lily explained, "He was feverishly searching for an excuse not to go home during these holidays, sir."

"I can understand that only too well," Severin commented dryly and conjured a bed just opposite Harry's, motioning Severus to get into bed, while he turned Severus' clothes into comfortable pyjamas with a flick of his wand.

During the next few days, Harry and Severus both were very ill. However, in spite of feeling absolutely horrible, they had much fun together and got to know each other really well. Lily often kept them company after Poppy had put a charm on her, which was supposed to make her immune against the lung infection for a few days.

Late in the evening of Christmas Eve, Lily suddenly stormed into the boys' room, crying.

"Lily, what's wrong?" Harry and Severus asked simultaneously, painfully trying to sit up.

"My sister," Lily sobbed. "You know that I told my mother everything about Harry and Petunia and that I was going to stay here because I didn't want to see her. My mother gave my sister a hard time because of that, and it seems to have driven her over the edge. She tried to kill herself, and they still don't know if she'll survive it."

_

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tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	8. Chapter 8

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 8**

Harry and Severus let out huge gasps. "I'm so sorry, Lily; I never wanted that," Harry croaked, feeling absolutely terrified.

"It's not your fault Harry," Severus countered, ending up in a coughing fit.

"Anyway, I have to go home right now. Severin promised to apparate me home," Lily sobbed. "But I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Good luck Mum. I love you," Harry mumbled hoarsely.

"I love you too, Lily," Severin croaked, giving the girl a fond smile.

'_He still looks attractive_,' Lily thought, '_even if he looks ill and his beautiful eyes are glassy_.' "I love you too, both of you," she replied, glad when Severin stepped through the door and gently took her into his strong arms.

"Shall we go, Lily?" he asked in his soft, silky voice, pulling her out of the room.

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Harry spent the whole night crying and musing about how it was his fault, if Petunia died in this time.

"Harry, stop crying. You'll only make yourself even worse," Severus told him gently. Seeing that Harry didn't listen at all, he dragged himself out of his bed and sat down next to Harry. "Harry, please stop it. Let's try to sleep for a little while. It's already four in the morning, and you haven't slept at all. You know Severin promised we might get up for a while today. Do you really want to aggravate your condition so much that we end up in bed even on Christmas day?" he asked sternly.

"I'm sorry Severus. Please go back to bed," Harry mumbled, looking up from his glassy green eyes that were swimming in tears.

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It was nearly lunchtime when Severin and Lily returned to Hogwarts with the news that Petunia was all right. Neither Lily nor Harry were in the mood to attend the Christmas celebrations, and since Severus and Harry weren't well enough to get up for a longer time anyway, the four friends spent Christmas day in Harry's room, talking and playing wizard's chess, and even had a quiet Christmas dinner together.

"I'm so sorry, Mum," Harry suddenly blurted out, pushing his plate away after only two bites of his dinner. "I shouldn't have told you about my life at the Dursleys."

"Of course you had to tell me, and it's not your fault, sweetie," Lily replied firmly. "It's my fault, because I told Mum about it and made it the reason for not going home for Christmas."

"No Lily, it's not your fault either; it's your mother's fault," Severin said gently. "I can understand that she was very disappointed not to have you home for the holidays, but she shouldn't have blamed Petunia for something she didn't even do at this time. But she'll be all right, and since we changed the future Harry won't grow up with her anyway."

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Lily, Severus and Harry spent the whole holidays together. As soon as Severus and a day later Harry was allowed out of bed, they began to do their holiday assignments and spent much time assisting Severin in his private lab, which the Headmaster had made the house-elves add to Severin's quarters. Severin taught his younger self several potions, which he had invented over the last twenty years, and Harry used the opportunity to practise brewing in order to get better at Potions than he had been before.

One day, Tom addressed Harry at dinner in the Great Hall. "Harry, I'd like to speak with you personally. Would you mind going for a walk around the lake after dinner?"

"Yes, I'd like that," Harry replied smiling, seeing that his surrogate father gave him an unobtrusive nod. '_He seems to be very nice and fortunately he looks completely different from how he looked before, but nevertheless it's difficult to forget who he was in my future before_,' Harry mused, while he quietly finished his dinner.

After dinner, Tom conjured warm robes for the two of them, before he and Harry walked out towards the lake. "Harry, I really have to thank you for what you did for me," Tom hesitantly began to speak. "Believe it or not, I never forgot that it was you, who rescued me from the orphanage and who gave me my Harry." He pulled the teddy bear out of his robe pocket, causing Harry to chuckle. "However, only a few weeks ago, my father showed me his memories, and even worse your father's memories of my former future." He shuddered at the thought of the memories he had seen in the Headmaster's Pensieve. "Thank you, Harry, for saving me from becoming a monster!"

Harry threw the teacher a huge smile. "You're very welcome, Professor Riddle-Dumbledore, and I'm extremely happy that I was able to prevent you from becoming that monster, and I'm glad that you had a pleasant childhood as I suppose you had."

"Yes, I had a very good childhood from that point onwards, Harry, and please continue calling me Tom," Tom said gently, causing Harry to chuckle.

"All right, Tom," he replied softly. "Do you still love to fly?"

"Yes Harry, I was the Seeker for Ravenclaw over six years, although that was thirty years ago," Tom informed him.

"That sounds good. In the future I've been Seeker for Gryffindor from my first year onwards," Harry explained, grinning. "Shall we do a Seeker scrimmage?"

Tom looked at him in surprise but then nodded. "Very well, why not? Do you have a broom, or do we have to take the school brooms?"

"We have to use school brooms, because I left my broom in the future. I didn't intend to come here; it was a potions accident," Harry replied anxiously, unsure how much Tom knew about their time travel.

"I know, Harry. Your surrogate father and my father told me everything about it," Tom said gently, before he headed towards the broom cupboard, took out two Nimbus Three Hundred, of which he handed one to Harry.

Harry laid the broom on the ground for a moment and proceeded to throw a sparkling charm at the Snitch, which he had conjured in the meantime, so that they'd be able to see the Snitch on the dark Quidditch pitch that was only lit by faint moon light coming through the heavy snow clouds.

However, even if the Snitch let out small sparkles every once in a while it was still difficult to catch it. Just when the first snowflakes tumbled down an hour later, Tom managed to put his hands around the struggling ball.

"That was brilliant," Harry commended the teacher, looking at him in amazement, before he explained, "This was the first time someone beat me to catching the Snitch. I only lost one Quidditch match so far, but that was because Dementors came to the school causing me to fall from my broom."

"Well, I'm sure it was pure luck that I beat you this time. Let's try again another time during the day when it's light and you aren't as tired as you are now. I think it's time for you to go to bed," Tom replied gently, giving Harry a sharp look.

"That's true," Harry admitted, feeling absolutely exhausted.

Tom quickly put the brooms away, before he accompanied Harry to Severin's quarters, where Severin was sitting together with Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Pomfrey and invited him to join them for tea, while Harry bade everyone good night and went straight to bed.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

When Harry and Severus, who continued to spend the nights in Harry's room even after his recovery, got up in the morning, the charmed window in Harry's room showed them that the grounds were covered in snow, while the sky had cleared up to a beautiful light blue. '_We should have a snowman building contest_,' Harry mused, before he shared his thought with Severus, who agreed immediately.

After breakfast, the current inhabitants of the castle gathered on the grounds for the contest. Harry whispered to Severus, "Why don't you invite Lily to build something together?" before he approached his surrogate father. "Severin, could you perhaps help me? I'd like to build four year old Tom. He was such a sweet child. I'm not sure if I'll be able to build him though."

Severin smirked and set to work together with Harry. When everyone was finished two hours later, everyone looked at the others' work, and Dumbledore and McGonagall walked around as the jury, before they ushered everyone inside for lunch.

"Well, that was a difficult decision," the Headmaster spoke up when they were seated at the table in the Great Hall. "We decided to give the third prize, a box of chocolate frogs, to Professor Riddle-Dumbledore for his enlarged Snitch. The second prize, an assortment of Honeydukes' finest chocolates, goes to Professor Snape and his son Harry for their child's version of my son Tom, and we decided to award the first prize, a self refilling box of chocolate frogs, to Lily and Severus for the life size replica of Severin in his potions lab. We especially liked the cauldron with the small phials around it. And now let's have lunch and warm up."

On the next day, a few hours before the students were going to return to Hogwarts, Tom and Harry held their next Seeker scrimmage, and this time Harry managed to beat the teacher by catching the Snitch after only fifteen minutes.

"You play extremely well," Tom said thoughtfully. "Maybe I should give the Gryffindor Quidditch captain a hint, because the Seeker they have is not good at all."

Harry threw the teacher a surprised glance. "Do you think I could play on the team?" he queried, getting very excited. "I'd love to play, but I don't know how long we're going to stay here," he mused aloud.

"Your father told my father something about for the rest of the school year," Tom replied, smirking as he promised, "I'll have a word with James Potter after dinner tonight. He is the Gryffindor Quidditch captain."

_

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tbc..._

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


	9. Chapter 9

**Harry's and Severus' Change of the Future – Chapter 9**

Tom didn't forget his promise to speak with James Potter, and for the rest of the school year, Harry played Seeker for Gryffindor, ensuring that Gryffindor managed to win the Quidditch Cup that year.

Apart from practising Quidditch with the Gryffindor team, Harry spent all his free time together with Lily and Severus, studying for their OWLs. '_I really like being together with them. It's a pity that we have to go back to the future after the end of the school year_,' Harry mused as he tried to concentrate on his History of Magic notes.

As the exam week came closer, Harry noticed that his two best friends' moods went slowly downwards as well. "What's wrong?" he asked one day, when they were feverishly trying to study for the Transfiguration test that was going to take place in the morning.

"I don't want to go home next week," Lily sighed, glancing at Severus, who nodded dully.

"Oh, all right," Harry said in understanding, only knowing the feeling of not being able to remain at Hogwarts over the summer too well. 'So much about trying to study for Transfiguration,' he mused as he pondered his friends' situation until he finally had an idea. Later in the evening, when his friends had returned to their dormitories in time for curfew, he approached Severin.

"Severin, I know it's already curfew, but I have something urgent to discuss with Tom. May I visit him for a few minutes?"

"Why don't you Floo-call him and ask him over, Harry?"

"Oh right, that's much better," Harry agreed and called Tom, who stepped out of the fireplace an instant later.

Harry sighed. "Tom, I'm sorry if it's very rude what I'm going to ask, but I really like to ask you a favour."

Tom laughed. "It's all right, Harry. You may ask anything of me."

"You know there is this stupid regulation that students can't remain at Hogwarts over the summer, only if they have a guardian, who is a teacher here," Harry hesitantly began to explain. "Lily and Severus both want to stay here, because Severus' father abuses him, and Lily can't stand her sister anymore, but... well..." He slowly trailed off.

"And you want me to become their temporary guardian over the summer, so they can stay at Hogwarts?" Tom queried, throwing Harry a piercing look.

"Yes sir," Harry replied in a small voice, anxiously averting his eyes to the floor.

"I'd love to do so, Harry. The only problem is that we have to get their parents' approval. I can't gain the guardianship over them without their permanent guardians' consent."

"Oh," Harry said, clearly shocked.

"Nothing easier than that," Severin sneered. "Lily can easily ask her parents, and I'm sure they'll understand and agree, provided she'll at least come home for a few days. Concerning Severus, Poppy could write my father a letter, claiming she wanted my younger self to stay at Hogwarts and act as the Potions Master's assistant in order for him to become the new Potions Master after his NEWTs. He'll certainly agree to that."

"Very well, I'll speak with both of them after dinner tomorrow," Tom decided, playfully ruffling Harry's hair. "I'm glad I can do something for your friends, Harry."

Fortunately, Lily and Severus were both allowed to remain at Hogwarts, and the three friends could fully concentrate on their OWLs. In the morning of their last test day, however, Harry woke up feeling awful. '_Oh no, don't let me get sick right now_,' he groaned inwardly, noticing that his ears seemed to be filled with cotton wool and his head was strangely foggy. He carefully opened his eyes, only to quickly shut them again, realising that the room turned around in a fast movement.

"Harry, it's time to get up," Severin's voice penetrated his achy ears like from far away, causing Harry to once more trying to open his eyes.

"Dad," he whispered, "I don't feel so well."

"Ah, don't worry, Harry, you'll do fine..." Severin stopped his sentence midway as he took a look at Harry, recalling what Harry had called him at the same time. It took him two large strides to step to Harry's side, placing a cold hand on the boy's forehead. "I'll be back in a minute," he said softly and hurried to the fireplace to inform the boy's Head of House that Harry was ill.

"All right, Severin, I will inform Professor Slughorn. He'll just have to take his Potions OWLs in the future," Minerva said gently. "I'll also excuse you from the meals today."

Severin thanked his colleague and returned to Harry's room, coaxing the magical thermometer into Harry's mouth, before he carefully bathed the boy's flushed cheeks, observing in concern as the figures on the magical display increased steadily.

"Pneumonia," Poppy diagnosed a few minutes later, alerted by the Charm she had put on the thermometer, "probably from playing Quidditch in the rain last week. "Did you not notice that you caught a cold?"

"No," Harry replied miserably, feeling worse than he had ever felt in his life.

"I'm sorry, Severin, but you won't go back to the future tomorrow after the Leaving Feast. You'll have to stay here for at least another two weeks," Poppy said sternly, worriedly connecting Harry to an I.V., before she spelled several potions straight into his system.

Although Harry was stuck in bed for the next few weeks, Lily, Severus and Harry spent all the time together, studying, talking and playing several games. '_During the seven months we have been here, Lily and Severus have become very close_,' Harry thought happily, knowing from his experience with Severin that Severus would make a very good father.

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In the end of June, Severin and Harry were finally able to travel back to the future. In order to prevent everyone from making a huge fuss, Severin merely informed Minerva, Albus and Tom of his plans, late in the evening, before he woke Harry up and motioned him to accompany him to the Potions classroom and take the time travel potion together with him.

They arrived exactly where they had left, in the middle of the Potions classroom, finding themselves surrounded by a lot of people that suddenly seemed much older than before.

As soon as the world stopped to turn and toss around, Harry felt himself being pulled in a bear hug by Lily, who then proceeded to pull Severus in a loving kiss, while Harry's younger siblings, the five-year-old twins Alex and Sean, stretched their arms up to him, demanding to be picked up.

Minerva and Albus looked as if they too wanted to bother the two time-travellers, when Poppy's voice penetrated the room. "Now let go of Severus and Harry. I will take them with me first to make sure they're all right. Out of the way please."

While everyone anxiously made space for the Healer, Tom said in a loud voice, "Welcome back, Severus and Harry, and thank you so very much for Changing the Future for the best! We really appreciate it."

Tom shouldn't be the only one to thank Severus and Harry. Five hours later, when the whole school assembled in the Great Hall for dinner, the Minister of Magic, Amelia Bones, spoke to them.

"I am here to thank Professor Severus Snape and Harry Snape for their efforts to change the future and assure a long period of peace for the wizarding world. Fortunately, Professor Albus Dumbledore was so kind as to share his old memories with me, so I know that alone here in this room several people wouldn't be here now if it weren't for the two of them, for example your Charms Professor Lily Evans-Snape and her younger children, your History of Magic teacher Professor Alice Longbottom, your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Frank Longbottom and their younger children, your Arithmancy teacher Tom Riddle-Dumbledore, and many more. Therefore, I wish to award the Order of Merlin first class to both, Professor Severus Snape and to Harry Snape for their efforts. Thank you, Messrs. Snape."

"Congratulations, Severus and Harry," Dumbledore added under tremendous applause. "I'd love to add another announcement. I will use this opportunity to retire as Headmaster. With my 150 years I believe that I have every right to retire, especially as I won't leave Hogwarts completely, but I'll be responsible for the education of our youngsters that aren't yet old enough to attend Hogwarts. My son, Tom Riddle-Dumbledore will be my successor, while another person, who was saved from a horrid fate, James Potter, will take over the Arithmancy position from the new school year onwards. Now I believe we have a valid reason to have a party. Enjoy your dinner; afterwards, the Weasley twins will take us for a surprise party out onto the grounds, and I'm sure we're going to have splendid fireworks tonight."

With that, dinner appeared on the tables and everyone began to eat.

"Show me."

"No me. I was first."

Alex and Sean feverishly tried to climb onto Harry's lap, reaching for the golden medal around his neck, while Harry whispered to his father, "Can you stand up and tell them that they don't have to thank me, because I'm so grateful myself to have caring parents, to be completely healthy, and to have the most annoying siblings." With that, he began a tickle attack on the two small boys, who were still trying to climb all over him.

**The End**

_

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Thank you so much for your continuous support throughout this story! I appreciate your kind comments very much!_

_I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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